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Orlando Magic’s second-round picks hold importance too

By Philip Rossman-Reich

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 17: Jevon Carter #21 plays defense the NBA Draft Combine Day 1 at the Quest Multisport Center on May 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 17: Jevon Carter #21 plays defense the NBA Draft Combine Day 1 at the Quest Multisport Center on May 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic have plenty of focus on the sixth overall pick. But their two second-round picks also hold importance as the team looks to rebuild.

The Orlando Magic will have three picks in the NBA Draft next month. Everyone has put their focus on the No. 6 pick in the Draft. It is easy to do that, it is a major piece of the Magic’s puzzle. A pick the team absolutely has to get right — maybe not to the degree that he is a star, but certainly as a key contributing piece.

At a minimum, Orlando needs a starter-quality player. Whether the Magic go for the fences and try to draft a star or play it safe to get that starter-quality player is a debate for the rest of the month. There is still plenty of information to gather.

The Draft does not begin and end with that pick. Although it will have a huge influence on evaluating whether this draft is a success.

The Magic’s two second-round picks are still extremely valuable and critical to the team’s roster and culture building.

President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman famously said last year in trading away the 25th pick in the draft that the talent “flattened out.” Maybe the Magic were looking at taking a player like Kyle Kuzma. But they were hoping he would last to the second round. He did not and Orlando traded away one of their second-round picks.

In the context, the decision to move off the pick was understandable. Orlando probably thought it was closer to the Playoffs than it was. Maybe Weltman did not want to commit another long-term deal to help him out in free agency.

Then again, Orlando was never a serious Playoff contender. Giving up the opportunity to draft a cost-controlled young player was not something they should pass up.

That is surely the lesson now.

Orlando will have to hit on the sixth pick and the team will also have to make the most of its second-round picks. This is a team that has to find talent wherever it can get it. Succeeding in the second round — or packaging them for a second first-round pick — is imperative to begin to move the team in the right direction.

The Magic will pick with the 35th and 41st pick. Those are still high-value picks.

Draymond Green, Nemanja Bjelica and DeAndre Jordan are among notable 35th picks recently. Nikola Jokic, Jodie Meeks and Cuttino Mobley are notable players taken 41st. There is clearly still some talent.

It is hard to hit on second-round picks with any kind of regularity. For every Kyle O’Quinn there is a Devyn Marble.

No one is expecting a home run. But getting a quality player who can contribute to the team in some way is a clear goal. Every rebuilding team finds some diamonds in the rough as they work their way up. Again, they do not have to be a potential starter, but they have to be a contributor.

This seems like an especially deep draft. There may be a few players coming out of the second round who strike it big.

Fans have quickly gravitated to the long list of point guards who figure to go in the early second round who could develop into solid starters or be contributors off the bench.

Orlando has done plenty of work on players that could go in this area already. The Orlando Magic interviewed Boston College Eagles guard Jerome Robinson at the NBA Draft Combine. They reportedly had Syracuse Orange guard Tyus Battle and Penn State Nittany Lions guard Tony Carr at the Amway Center on Wednesday, according to Adam Zagora of SNY.

There are other quality players like West Virginia Mountaineers guard Jevon Carter, Wichita State Shockers guard Landry Shamet and USC Trojans guard De’Anthony Melton. And there are plenty more. There are plenty of other players to look out and review too.

All these guys have something that looks like a NBA skill that can be developed. There is something to find and some value to create with these later picks.

Getting value from these picks is vital to the rebuild too. The Magic are not going to be able to go out into free agency to improve the roster and especially their depth. Finding grinders who can fill a role and grow with the team in the second round are absolutely vital to a successful rebuild.

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And so the Magic should be looking to hit with these second-round picks as much as they need to hit with that top pick.